Who Should Use TV Publicity?
The media plays a very important role in society overall. They start trends, keep us informed, entertain us, shape public opinion, and motivate consumers to buy. The media – especially television – has a great level of influence, so it stands to reason that anyone who gets access to the airwaves can benefit from this powerful promotional platform.
Every professional, entrepreneur, and expert in their field needs to embrace the fact that in order to make an impact in the marketplace, your target audience has to know about you. It’s your responsibility to be a successful self-marketer, even if you are currently a business with only one employee – you. This is especially true for authors, speakers, coaches and service providers; such as fitness and health experts.
Tapping into the power of publicity gives you the most mileage for your marketing efforts. And for a fairly small amount of work, your message and your name get the benefit of being broadcast to a huge group of people. There are millions of people who watch TV and those viewers are your potential clients and future customers.
Anyone who is truly looking to have any level of longevity and success as a business owner should be using television publicity as well as other forms of the media to gain an advantage over their competition while establishing themselves as a leader or authority in their industry.
Your Life Experience is a Plus
TV publicity is an especially great marketing vehicle for anyone actively participating in their profession, or who can draw from past professional/life experience in a current and relevant way.
There are a wide variety of angles and areas of expertise you can use to get booked on TV. Here’s a short list of the types of people most often interviewed by the media and seen on talk shows and news programs:
Authors
Even in the 21st century with technology rapidly changing how we access information, books are still held in high regard and there continues to be a healthy respect for authors.
A survey conducted by the Jenkins Group showed that more than 80 percent of Americans want to write a book. However, a research study sponsored by the Ford Foundation discovered that only 3 percent of people actually achieve that goal, so having completed the writing of your book puts you in the top percentage of people who turn their ideas into action.
Your book represents your packaged knowledge and adds instant credibility to your career achievements. Plus, putting the phrase, “Author of…” before or after your name sets you up as the expert who literally “wrote the book” on the particular topic you’re talking about.
The media actively looks for people who have published their research findings, expert opinions, professional advice, and easy-to-follow tips. It doesn’t matter if your book is self published or not. What’s important thing is that you wrote it, it’s professionally presented, and can be purchased easily by anyone who might want to buy it.
Authorities
Have you made a new discovery, are you the first to coin a phrase, enter a new market, implement a new technique, or develop a new technology?
Producers are always on the look out for individuals who are at the top of their field or area of expertise.
Being an authority also means you are capable of displaying confidence and clarity in sharing information that you are well versed on.
Celebrities
The late 20th century was an exciting time as there were more opportunities for “everyday people” to ascend to celebrity status, people with undiscovered talent and unstoppable drive became household names and media darlings.
Here are a few you may know:
- 47 year old mezzo-soprano singer Susan Boyle, burst on the scene of the competition show “America’s Got Talent,” and blew the world away with her angelic voice. She went from singing in her shower to selling millions of records and winning a Grammy award.
- After being cast as “himself” on the wildly popular reality television series “Jersey Shore,” Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino parlayed his new fame into a book deal and his own clothing line.
- Patti Stanger, went from being a former Director of Marketing with a knack for matchmaking to the founder of an elite dating service that caters to millionaire men. Her business and her contemporary approach to successful relationships is being featured as a reality television show, “Millionaire Matchmaker” on the Bravo network.
This trend has continued into the 21st century with no signs of slowing down. And with the launching of more reality TV shows geared towards entrepreneurs and professionals like, “The Apprentice” and “Shark Tank” that’s great news if you want to go from relatively unknown to “overnight celebrity” in your industry.
Experts
Basically, anyone who has gained specialized knowledge through firsthand experience and can be considered an expert.
If “The School of Hard Knocks” was your teacher, then the life experience you’ve gained is your “Diploma” – giving you the right to share what you’ve learned with the world.
People who are considered experts as a result of their experiences and/or extensive research often have just as much (if not more) knowledge as credentialed experts in their areas of expertise.
You can be very successful with helping people solve their problems without having received an advanced degree or certification.
There is no limit to the areas of expertise you can use to get on TV. Here’s a short list of descriptions of the types of experts that most commonly appear on TV include:
* Authors, Writers, or Bloggers
* Business Consultants and Entrepreneur (Real Estate Agent)
* Career Specialists
* Children and Family Experts (Pediatrician, Psychologist)
* Consumer Advocates
* Fashion Designers or Stylists
* Financial Experts (CPA, Stock Broker, Economist, Financial Planner)
* Fitness Experts (Personal Trainer, Aerobics Instructor)
* Food (Personal Chef, Nutritionist)
* Health Specialists (Holistic Health Adviser, Medical Professional)
* Home Improvement Experts (Interior Designer, Professional Organizer)
* Inventors
* Legal Experts (Lawyer, Attorney, Private Investigator)
* Life or Personal Coaches
* Motivational or Professional Speakers
* Personal Safety Experts (Security Consultant, Self Defense Expert)
* Relationship Experts (Marriage Counselor, Dating Expert)
Professionals
Professional’s are experts who:
- Have some sort of formal education, certification or training
- Have documentation from a governing body which oversees their profession, and
- Have the legal right to diagnose, assess, and offer expert advice upon which an individual may act upon
Experts with credentials are often used by television producers when there is a topic that requires:
- Legal interpretation (i.e. Defense attorney)
- Medical alerts (i.e. Cardiologist)
- Financial uncertainty (i.e. Certified Financial Planner)
- Social issues (i.e. Psychologist)
- Scientific discoveries (i.e. Professor)
Understanding how producers categorize and evaluate you in terms of your ability to be a great guest is important. Not only do you have the ability to fit into multiple categories; but you can also take on a new “publicity profile” that will make you even more attractive to producers to consider as a guest expert.
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